The Good Old Days
by DC World
Summary: Join Ryan and Kelsi as they tell their grandkids stories about the " Good Old Days"
1. Chapter 1

**This story was inspired by a project my younger sister has to do for History which involves her talking to relatives ( particularly grandparents) and getting some insteresting stories about out family history. And I thought hey...wouldn't be interesting to have Ryan and Sharpay listen to their grandparents tell stories? And then I had an even better idea..... how about make Ryan and Kelsi the grandparents telling the story!!! I mean there are a lot of stories about them as young adults, lots about them being teens and a few abou them being little kids. But I have not really come across any where they are grandparents. **

**So basically each chapter is going to consist of a flashback...which is a story that either Ryan or Kelsi is saying....you'll see what I mean. The flashbacks are in itallics and singing ( which does not happen in the this chapter ) is bold. **

**The first flashback is inspired by a scene in a story called Twenty-Five Roses by fallinrain. Kim has really grown on me and her stories are some of my fav!! When I told her I had an idea based on one of her scenes she told me she was looking forward to seeing what I will do. I tired to keep the main theme of the scene without completely copying her idea...hopefully it worked.**

**Chapter 1: Slick Move**

Ryan smiled as he pulled into the parking lot in front of East High. Although it had been decades since he had gone to school there as a student and twenty years since the last teacher who had taught him retired, there was a familiartiy about the place and he could not help by feel happy. After all, this was the place where everything had started. This was where he had gotten his first taste for putting on a show- one where the audience consisted of more then his parents and their close friends. And where he also learned that even though he had talent - and money - he sitll had to work just as hard as everyone else if he wanted to get to the top. This was where he had met the girl of his deams, the girl he was still married to after forty-four years. And where he had made seven - if you he didn't include his sisre or his wife- of the greastest friends a man could have. Friends who had stood by him through the good and through the bad.

He heard the bell to signal the end of the day and glanced up at the door which opened as students poured out , exicted about finally being allowed to go home. He chuckled to himself. When he was in high school, he had felt the same way. But there were many times since he had graduated when he had wished that he would just go back.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door when he noticed his oldest granddaughter - Marissa - walking out of the front doors. But he stopped himself from getting out of the van and calling her name when he noticed a young boy carrying a basketball jogging up to her. Ryan watched as Marissa smiled slightly and nodded her head after the boy said something to her. Apparently that was not the response the boy had thought he was going to receive because he had a shocked look on his face. But only for a moment, and then he kissed her on the cheek and ran off to catch his bus. Marissa's smiled bigger.

Then she looked up and upon noticing her grandfather's van , walked over in his direction. Ryan got out the the vehicle and met her halfway with a hug. " Gramps, what are you doing here?" she asked once they had broken apart.

" Your mother went to the hospital this morning," he relpied as they made their way back towards his car. The girl let out an exicted squeal. Marissa's mother - Cadance- was Ryan and Kelsi's second oldest and she was having her sixth child, even though she had told her parents after she had had the twins - who had just turned five- that she was not having any more. But, both Ryan and Kelsi had not really been that surprised when and and Robert had informed them of this lastest pregnancy. " So where is your brother?" Ryan asked once they had reached van and he opened the door for his granddaugher.

She rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder. " He's coming."

And sure enough, five mintues later sixteen year-old Eric come out the building, completely ignoring the other students around him. He was too busy listening to his ipod and no doubt running some choreography for it in his mind. Out of al of Ryan and Kelsi's grandkids, Eric had been the one to inherit his grandfather's love for dance - and hats- and looked up to the older man as a hero.

" Eric," Marissa called out through her open windoe, but her older brother didn't seem to hear her. She gave her grandfather a look and then ran out the car to get her brother's attention. He gave a littel jump when he tapped his shoulder and she laughed as she pointed to Ryan's van. A smile appeard on the young man's face as they both jogged over to the car.

" I take it mom's having her baby then?" he asked as they both buckled up - Eric taking shotgun, while Marissa sat behind the driver's seat.

Ryan nodded as he backed out of the parking lot and pulled onto the street. " Yep. We just need to pick up your brother and sisters, and then go to your house and pick up some stuff so you can spend the weekend."

About an housr later Ryan pulled his car into the driveway and parked in front of his house and his grandkids pile out and ran into the house to greet their grandmother. He let out a chuckle as he grabbed two bags from the trunk and then went to join everyone else.

When he entered the house he was overwhelmed with the smell of supper cooking in the kitchen. His stomach growled slightly. Apparently he was not the only one who noticed the good smell.

" What you cooking Grandma?" little Alannah asked with a smile. " It smells yummy."

The older women smiled back. " Chile. What to help?"

Alannah nodded her head vigorously - her brown curls bouncing as she did so- and then skipped off to the bathroom to clean her hands.

But Alannah's twin sister Alexis was not as enthusiastic. She had a frown on her face and looked like he was trying hard not to cry.

Kelsi crouched down so that she was eye level with the girl. " What's wrong sweetie?"

" Mommy is at the hospital. What if she doesn't come back home?" When the twins were three years- old Robert's dad had suffered a heart attack and went to the hospital. He didn't make it, and everyone had been devastated. Apparently Alexis associated people going to the hospital with dying.

Kelsi shook her head. " Oh no...it's okay baby. Mommy will be coming home soon."

" Are you sure?"

Kelsi nodded. " Yes, I'm sure."

After a moment a weak smile appeared on the young girl's face. " Can I help you cook too?"

" Well," Kelsi pretended to ponder for moment and then nodded. " Of course, go wash up with your sister." She leaned back up and looked at her husband and the oldest three kids. " The three of you are free until supper, I guess. After one of you takes your stuff upstairs."

Eric and Marissa glanced over at their younger brother - Travis, who was going to be twelve soon- and he groaned as he grabbed the two bags from his grandfather and reluctantly walked up the stairs to put them in the proper rooms.

Ryan and Kelsi chuckled at his antics and then shook their heads as Eric and Marissa followed their brother up the staits.

After supper had been eated and the dishes had been washed, Ryan and Kelsi joined their grandkids out of the deck to enjoy some cookies and ice-tead along with the nice fall weather they seemed to be having a lot of lately.

" Sp, how was your day, Eric?" Ryan asked as he sat down in a chair that overlooked the back yard.

The young man grumbled and his sister giggled. Both Ryan and Kelsi raised their eyebrows.

" He feel off the stage in rehearsals today," Marissa explained with a smile. Although both Eric and Marissa were active members of the drama club, Eric took it more seriously then his sister.

" It's not funny," he snapped, but Marissa just kept on smiling.

To both of the teens surprise, their grandmother was also laughibng, although she was trying very hard not to. " You know Eric, in our senior year your grandfather fell off that stage too."

" Oh Kels, why did you have to bring that up?"

She smiled. " Because I think it's only fair that he knows he's not the only one in this famly that did something like that."

Ryan rolled his eyes. " Still..."

She just kept on smiling. " I think you should tell him the story."

" Are you kidding me? I made a fool of myself, in front of everyone."

But by this time all five kids were staring at him, waiting for him to tell the story. He sighed. " Fine...." He gave his wife a quick good natured glare and then contiuned. " As you all know, back when your grandmother and I were in high school my sister - your great aunt Sharpay - and I kind of ruled the drama department. And i had a huge reputationi to uphold." At this Kelsi cleared her throat and glanced at Ryan, but he just winked at her and continued. " As you both already know, Eric and Issa, having your leading lady suddenl ybe unable to make it the opening night and then having to change pretty much everything to fit her substitute can be difficult. Particularly when you are the one running the show. Anyway, no one - except Sharpay that is - was very happy with the idea of my sister now playing the lead, but there was really not much we could do about that. Because as the saying goes, the show must go one....."

_" Come on Shar, it's not that hard," Ryan said with a huff as his sister once again messed up the choreography he was trying to teach her. Sharpay was really starting to frustrate him. He knew that she could do the routine- she had done routines harder before. But she was just being her normal self- always putting on a show of some kind. _

_Sharpay glanced over at Troy who wa sitting slightly off stage and gave him an innocent smile. Then she glance at her brother- who was rolling his eyes - and let out a sigh. " Whatever Ryan. Let's go through it one more time, okay?"_

_Ryan raised his hands up in the air slightly. " Fine, whatever. You're the boss." He said that a little bit more harshly then he had intended and everyone was now looking at the pair, anxious to see a little bit of drama. Sharpay smirked when she noticed them watching. If they wanted a show she would give them one. but Ryan knew that this had been her plan all along and he wasn't going to give into her ways that easily. _

_He raised his arms in the proper postion and waited - rather impatiently - as Sharpay adjusted her skirt and then put one had on his shoulder and put the other in his hand. He have her one more quick glare as he secured his free hand around her waist and then began to lead her arounf the stage. He scowled to himself as she did all the steps perfectly. _

_After a moment he stopped and clapped his hands together. " Now, we are going to try the spin one more time, okay?"_

_She nodded and primped her hair. _

_He tired to ignore her and continued on with his lesson. " Okay, I am going to spin you out, but you aren't gonig to let go of my hand. You are going to stay out for four counts and then spins back in. Once you are back to me I am going to dip you. Got it?"_

_She didn't say anything, just grabbed his hand once more. He took that as a yes and spun her out, then braced himself to catch and dip her. But as Sharpay spun out Ryan heard something that distracted him._

_" Shit," a soft voice whispered, but loud enough for him to hear. He looked over his shoulder to see Kelsi trying to discreetly wipe up her tea which he had split on the piano bench. He only looked at her for a second, but it was long enough for him to momentarily forget that his sister was expecting him to dip her, and the force of her spinning into him knocked them both off the stage. _

_There was a crash as the pair landed on the floor, a moment of slience, the flash of a camera as Taylor dutifully came out of apparent shock long enough to snap a picture for the yearbook and then, " RYAN VANCE EVANS! What the hell was that?" Ryan didn't say anythign as his sister refused to grab a helping hand from Zeke - who had rushed over as soon as he saw his 'percious' Sharpay fall - and pushing herself off the floor. " Well?"_

_" We fell off the stage," he said after a moment, more to himself then anyone else. _

_Sharpay groaned. " No kidding Captain Obvious. The question is why did we fall, huh? You were supposed to dip me....not throw me off stage."_

_The rest of the Wildcats glanced at each other and both Chad and Troy were trying to hide the fact that they were laughing. they had all wanted some drama, and now they certainly got it. _

_When Ryan didn't answer her, Sharpay let out an infuriated scream, stomped her foot and stormed out of the auditorium - with Zeke hot on her heels. " I have some brownies in my locker we can share. Sharpay, wait!"_

_After his siter left the room, Ryan let out a frustrated moan and then placed his head in his hands. He sat like that for a moment and then got up, dusting himself off. Kelsi - who had also rushe dover when she saw the twins fall- handed him his hat, which had flew off of his head durning the fall. ' Pretty slick move there, Mr. Choreographer. Are you planning on using that in the show?" she asked with a cheeky smile. _

_He turned and glared at her and for a second Kelsi thought he was going to snap at her. But instead, he sarted to laugh._

_And everyone let out a breath they didn't even know they were holding a joined him._

**Okay....so what did you think? I have chapters 2 and 3 already written, but I have to re-type them on an already existing document. So chapter 2 will hopefully be up by the end of the week and chapter 3 next week. Anyways....if you have any ideas for flashbacks that would be great.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah....six reviews already...that's awsome....**

**I love this flashback! It was inspired by something that happend to my cousin. **

**Chapter 2: Awkward Moment **

When Ryan was finished his story his grandson had a small smile on his face. " At least I didn't pull any one with me."

Marissa laughed. " True....but see Eric, it's no big deal. I mean there is always someone out ther who has done more embrassing things then you have. Isn't that right grandpa?" She flashed a grin at Ryan.

Ryan rolled his eyes. " Okay, enough you two. That was more then forty years ago. I've had my share of being laughed at because of that. I don't need you to make fun of me too."

They both shook their heads and grinned. " Oh, we would never make fun of you grandpa, never."

The twins nodded their heads in agreement.

Ryan turned to glance at Travis, who just shrugged his shoulders. Then he nodded and turned back to Marissa who still had a smirk on her face. " And what about you, Miss Issa? How was your day?" He was now grinning.

" Fine."

" Just fine?"

" What are you getting at gramps?

He kept smiling. " Who was that nice young man I saw you with after school today."

She blushed slightly. " No one."

" Oh really, it didn't look like no one to me."

Eric turned and gave his sister a questioning look. " Who is he talking about?"

She glanced at her brother and then sighed. " Jared Cartmen...he....um..he kind of asked me out today."

Eric raised an eyebrow. " Really?" SHe nodded and he let out a laugh. " Wow...about time. I mean, seriously that guy has had a crush on you for like two years now."

She smiled. " I know. Actually I was kind of getting annoyed with him. If he wouldn't have asked me today I probably would have just went up to him on Monday and demanded to know what he was waiting for."

Ryan sat up straighter in his chair when he heard this last part and then smirked at his wife. " Well, well, well, like grandmother like granddaughter. Don't you think Kels?"

Kelsi chuckled. " Yeah, kind of."

Marissa turned to stare at her grandparents. ' What? Did you demand grandpa to o out with you grandma?"

Kelsi shook her head. " No...he asked me out on his own. But I do know what you are talking about when you say you are annoyed with this Jared boy. Because there was time when I was annoyed with your grandfather for making me wait. But unlike you Issa, I did go and demand an explanation as to what was taking him so long...."

_" Ugh," Kelsi groaned into her phone as she pulled back the curtains to glanced out of her apartment window. It had been snowing for two days straight and although she liked the snow, it was really starting to annoy him. " I wish it would just stop snowing already. "_

_" You know," a voice chuckled on the other end, " there is a good chance that you will be living in New York for a while. What are you going to do every winter? Fly somewhere warm?"_

_' And what would be wrong with that, Gabi?" she asked sly as she pulled the curtains over her window and sat down on her small couch. _

_There was a pause as Gabriella contemplated this. " Well....nothing, I guess. I mean you can certainly afford to do so."_

_Kelsi rolled her eyes, even though the other women could not see her. " Yeah, right. I'm starving student, I have no money. You know that."_

_" True....but Ryan does."_

_" I 'm not going to make him pay for me to escape the cold."_

_" But....if you were married, then technically it would your money too."_

_Kelsi groaned. What was with everyone thinking that her and Ryan should be married? " Look Gabs, I know you and Troy did the whole married and have kids before twenty thing. And that's great. It works for you. But Ryan and I aren't ready to get married yet. I mean, we are both very busy with school and all. And...oh I don't know. It just isn't the right time. I am perfectly content with the way our realtionship is." _

_" Right...." Gabriella replied, not really believing what her friend was saying._

_" Seriously Gabi, I am."_

_" Whatever," the brunette said with a smile in her voice. " Keep on convincing your self that."_

_" So how is life back in Albuquerque?" Kelsi asked in an attempt to change the subject._

_" I don't know... I mean this is not how I pictured I would be at twenty-one," she sighed. " Although I think I am actually okay with the way things are turning out." She added. Suddenly there was a bang on Gabriella's end and Kelsi heard her friend curse, something that did not happen very often. _

_" Trouble in paradise?" she asked with a smirk. _

_" Josh just spilt his breakfast all over the floor. Look....can I call you back?"_

_" Yeah sure." _

_" Thanks...bye....talk to you later."_

_" Yeah, bye." Kelsi chuckled as she hung up hre phone and then went back to making her own breakfast, which was what she had been doing before Gabi called. _

_But as she put her toast in the toaster she could not help but wonder about what her friend had said. Was she really happy with the way her and Ryan's realtionship was? Or was she - like Gabriella suggested- just trying to convince herself that she was?_

_It wasn't that she wasn't happy with the way things were. She knew that she had an amazing boyfriend; one who not only loed her very muvh but one that also happened to be her best friend. And she knew that he would be there for her no matter what happened, as she had proved many times over the last four years. But the more that people kept asking about whether or not there was to be a wedding soon, the more she began to wonder if there would ever be one. Perhaps he wasn't even going to ask her. _

_She sighed as she took a bite of her toast and then shook her head at herself. Of course he was going to ask her....some day. But still, it seemed that everyone was anxiously awaiting for that day to come, and they were getting more and more impatient. _

_Just the other day ger ada had called and jokingly asked whether or not she should start palnning on how he was going to rob a bank in order to pay for the extravagant event that Sharpay and Mrs. Evans would no doubt plan. She had laughed and told him not to worry, and he assured her that he was not. But she could hear the stress in his voice. She knew that weddingd were expensive and that the Evans family would most likely want a big event. She also knew that - although her parents never say it out loud, except when they are trying to joke- they could not really afford to live up to such high standards. _

_And last week when Sharpay had been in New York for her semi-annual visit, she spent the majority of the time dropping hints about how lovely it is to be married and settled down. _

_The more that Kelsi thought about it, the more it started to frustrate her. And before she knew it, she was pacing her kitchen with a cup of tea and starting to mumble to herself. " What is his problem? I mean why won't he just ask me already...everyone else is married or engaged. I mean even Chad and Taylor have beaten us it to. Ahhhh...this is stupid...." _

_Before she was fully of aware of what she was doing, she had grabbed her coat and was running down the stairs, ready to go and....do something. _

_But as soon as she opened the door to go outside she cursed out loud. Normally it did not really bother her that Ryan lived in an apartment building a couple of blocks away from the main campus, instead of in residence. But take in the fact that it was not only snowing and windt, but that she was already frustrated, and the walked just seemed too much. _

_She grumbled the whole way to his building and then partically stormed up the steps to the 9th floor. She never took the elevators, they tended to be to slow. She took a huge breath as she walked up to his room door and then puased for a second. Then she knocked loudly. When he didn't answer she groaned and then knocked again, this time a little bit louder. _

_When he didin't answer again, she sighed and then dug through her purse for her key. As she unlocked the door and walked into his apartment she could hear him singing in the shower, and although she was in a bitter mood, she could help but smile - just a little bit. But then the thought of him being all happy and oblivious to the problem made her more irriated._

_She shut the door behind herself and then sat down on his couch and waited. As she sat there she began to contemplate what she was going to say to him. After a while she decided that she was just going to ask him right out why they were not at least disussing the possibility of marriage. _

_A moment later she heard the water turn off and the bathroom door open and she instinctively got off of the couch. Ryan - unaware that he had a visitor- walked out of his bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. He stopped and put on a charming smile when he noticed her. If the fact that he wasn't wearing any clothes bothered him, he didn't show it. _

_She blushed slightly and inwardly cursed at herself for not at least warning him that she was here. Trying not to focus on the fact that he was pretty much naked and dripping wet in front of her, Kelsi cleared her throat and looked down at the floor. " Um..." There went her her plan of just asking him._

_He chuckled at her bashfulness and she just blushed more. " Not that I don't mind my girlfriend coming to see me...but is there a reason why you just showed up at nine in the morning without warning?"_

_" We..uh...we need to talk."_

_Ryan's smiled become a frown. " About what?"_

_She took a breath. " Us."_

_He stared at her for a moment and then whispered. " You want to break up with me?" He asked, praying that he was wrong. _

_She shook her head vigorously. " Oh..." she should have known that this was te conclusion that he would have come to. " No, no, no. That's not what I meant."_

_He sighed in relief. " Good, because i don't want that Look, can I at least put some clothes on before we talk." He glanced down at his towel and smiled. " Unless you want me to stay like this."_

_" Yes."_

_He raised on eyebrow. " You want me to just weat a towel?"_

_" Crap....no....I meant...yes you can go put some clothes on..not that you should only wear a towle....damn....I ma messing up and now I am just going to shut up before I make a bigger fool of myself, okay."_

_He laughed and walked over to to kiss her lightly on the cheek. " You're so cute when you are nervous. I'll be right back."_

_She didin't say anything, just watched him walked into his bedroom and shut the door. As soon as the door shut she say back dwon on the couch and put her head in her hands. How the hell was she going to ask him when she kept getting nervous and saying stupid things?_

_A moment later he emerged from his room wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a black fedora. She shook her head at his attire. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was so melodramtic in high school. He had come a long way since then. Then again, they all had. _

_" So, what's up?" he asked as he poured himself some coffe and added sugar. Although he used to never drink coffee, he had gotten hooked on it during his first year of Julliard. And now he sometimes wished that he had never started because he had sort of become depended on it. " Do you want some tea?" He knew that although he was boderline depended on caffine, she still prefered herbal tea and honey. _

_She shook her head and he walked over to his couch and let out a huge breat. " Why aren't we married?" He stared at her for a moment and then began to laugh. She let go of his hands and then frowned. " Stop laughing, I'm serious." _

_At her tone he stopped laughing and then got of fhis couch and headed towards his bedroom. She got up to follow him, but he was already back before she could do so. He was chuckling and holding a small black box. _

_She walked over and stopped in front of him, staring between the box in his hands and the smirk on his face. _

_" Now this is awkward," he admitted. _

_She nodded. "Yeah."_

_He looked down at the box in his hands. " I've had like for about a week now. And I have been debating about how and when I was going to ask you. But I guess I don't have to anymore."_

_She didn't say anything, just stared at him. She felt kind of stupid. She should have just been patient and waited for him, instead of getting all emotional and rushing over here. _

_He grabbed her hands and gently kissed them and she could not hep but smille. He then got down on one knee and she felt her knees start to tremble and tears form in her eyes, irritating her. She had always told herself that when Ryan proposed she would not get all emotional and nervous. But here she was shaking and starting to cry. _

_" Kelsi," he paused for a moment before he began his speech. " Did you ever stop to listen to the words of the songs you wrote when we were in high school? I mean really listen.  
She frowned at him slightly, unsure where this was going. He continued before she could respond. " I know that when you wrote thoses songs you had no idea the we would end up together and I know that most of those songs were written for Troy and Gabriella, but still. I can not help but wonder if you knew exactly how I was going to feel" He stopped for a moment, as if he didn't know what to say next and then he smiled. When he opened his mouth again, Kelsi was surprised to him him sing. " **I sang you words I've never said, and it was easy, because you saw the real me. As I am, you understand and that's more then I've ever know. To hear your voice above the nosie, and know I'm not alone. Oh, you're singing to me. When I hear my favourite song, I know that we belong because you are the music in me. **You are most definately the music in me Kels, and there is no one that I would rather spend my life with then you." He took a deep breath and opened the box. She could not help but gasp when she say the ring. What surprised her the most was the fact that it was not a very bug outlandish stone. It looked rather simple, and this made her happy. It was something that she could actually she herself wearing. " Kelsi Nielsen....would you please do me the honour of becoming my wife? Will you marry?" _

_She looked into his eyes, slowly nodded and then pulled him to his feet. " Yes," she said simply and then kissed him passionately. _

**So there is chapter 2. I have chapter 3 and 4 already written...but I am going away for the weekend, so the earliest I can type chapter 3 up is on Tuesday.....unless the hotel that I am staying at has the internet. **


	3. Chapter 3

**So the hotel that I am staying at does have the internet....so I can post the next chapter....yeah**

**There are two flashbacks in this one....but they are so similar that it doesn't make sense to have two chapters. The first is inspired by my drabble for te prompt "Blue Jeans" and the second on is just basically Ryan singing the song " Amazed" by Lonestar...which is one of my fav songs.**

**Chapter 3: Nerves**

" Awe that was sweet," Marissa sighed when her grandmother finished. " I mean....he sang you your song as a propsal." She sighed again.

" You're such a hopeless romantic," Travis teased his sister. He wasn't really into the mushy gusy lovey dovey stuff.

" And," she retaliated, ' What's so wrong with that?"

he shrugged his shoulders. " Whatever Issy."

" Grandma," Alannah said suddenly. " Did you look like a princess on your weddign day?"

Ryan smiled at this. " Yes she did pumpkin. She was the most beautiful princess I have ever seen." Kelsi blushed slightly at this. even after all these years she still got a little bit embarrassed when someone complimented her.

Alexis gasped. " Really? Do you have pictures?"

Ryan nodded and got up from his chair. " Yeah, I think so." He went into the house and returned a moment later with a photo album. He sat sat back down on his chair and the twins sat on his lap. Together they opened the album and began to look at the pictures.

" Wow," Alanna exclaimed. " You really are very pretty grandma."

Kelsi beamed. " Why thank you sweetheart."

Marissa walked up behind her grandfather and looked down at the pictures too. " That is a lovely dress. I want a dress like that when I get married."

" Well," Kelsi began,"if you are still short by the time that you get married, then perhaps I coule give it to you."

The young girl's eyes lit up. " Really?"

" Of course. I mean I was going to give it to your mothe, but she surpassed me in height when she was twelve, so that didn't work. but you seemed to have inherited my genes in that department, Marissa."

Marissa smirked. " I never thought me being short might be a good thing."

" Oh, it does haev it's advantages."

" I bet." Marissa smiled and then looked back at the pictures. " You know, there is a girl in my class who wants to wear jeans on her wedding. Could you imagine that? What kind of girl wants that?"

At this Ryan laughed and Marissa glanced at him. " Don't tell me grandma wanted to do that too."

" Kind of, " he replied.

" Actually," Kelsi clarified, " I was so nervous about the wedding that I was still in my jeans only two hours before the ceremony. Trust me when I say this girls, no matter how much you perpare for your wedding day, and no matter how much you love the guy you are going to marry, you are still very nervous...."

_kelsi took a huge breath as she looked out of her room window at the grounds of Lava Springs. She had to sdmit that everything did look amazing, and she had been thankful that the Evans family had contributed financially and had agreed to not go over the top with everything. But that didn't help the fact that she was still nervous about the whole thing._

_She turned away from the window and glanced at herslef in the full length mirror. She was still not wearing her dress and knew that she should really be getting ready. But she just couldn't. the more she thought about the fact that all eyes would be on the bride, the more she just wished they could run away and get married in a private ceremony. _

_Suddenly she heard her room door open and when she turned around she was surprised to see Ryan standing in the doorway. " You're not supposed to see me before the wedding....it's bad luck." she siad nervously._

_He just smiled and walked over to her, placing his arms arounf her waist. " You're not even in your dress," he pointed out as he leaned down to peck her on the lips. _

_" What if i am going to wear this?"_

_He glanced down at her and smirked as he looked over what she was wearing. " Are you telling me that you are going to wear blue jeans and a bright yellow tank top to your wedding?"_

_She nodded. " Perhaps I am."_

_He laughed and felt her relax a tiny bit. " Could you imagine the look on Sharpay's face. It would totally be worth it." _

_She laughed too. " Yeah...I am pretty sure that she would never talk to me again."_

_He shrugged his shoulders." But would that really be such a bad thing?"_

_She sighed as she pulled him closer and put her head on his chest. " Perhaps not."_

_He kissed the top of her head, a concerned look appearing on his face. " You sound stressed baby, what's wrong?"_

_She shrugged. " Nothing"_

_" Kelsi?"_

_She slide out of his embrace and began to pace back and forth in front of him. " It's ....just...ahhh...why can't we get married somewhere else. Without all this." She pointed out the window at the decorated grounfs to emphasize her point. He frowned at her sudden change of mood. " I mean....oh...I have no idea what I am talking about."_

_" Come here Kels," he pulled her into another hug and stroked her hair. " It's going to be fine. Trust me. I am going to leave right away before my sister figures out that I have snuck off to see you, and you are going to put on that lovely dress of yours. Then in a couple of hours you are going to walk down the aisle and we are going to get ?" She nodded and he contiued. " And we are going to be happy." She looked up at him and he kissed her. _

_When they pulled apart she had a small smile on her face. " I really do you love Ryan Evans."_

_He smiled back. " And I really love you Kelsi Nielsen. Now come on, go get ready. And don't worry, I'll be waiting for you at the alter." And with that he left her to get ready for her big day._"And he was waiting, right?' Marissa asked with a smile.

" Of course, just like he promised."

" But you were still nervous, weren't you?"

Kelsi nodded. " Very much. But I think the thing I was most nervous about was the first dance."

Eric nodded. " Because Grandpa is a better dancer then you and you didn't want to look like a fool when you were with him."

" Exactly....how did you know that?'

Eric shrugged." Sara is the same way, even though she is a good dancer." Sara is the leading lady in the fall show, while Eric is the leading man. " she is always afraid that she is going to mess up."

" And did you make a fool of yourself?" Alexis asked quietly.

Kelsi shook her head. " No, your grandfather calmed me down."

" And how did he do that?"

" He sang to her," Marissa replied with a smile. At the look she got from her younger siblings she added. ' Grandpa used to sing to me when I was upset when I was younger."

Kelsi nodded. " Yes, your grandfather's voice seemes to have the ability to soothe the soul...."

_ryan put on a huge smile as he lead his wife to the center of the dance floor. he looked down at her and felt her shaking as he pulled her close. He lightly kissed her forehead. " Relax, baby. It'll be fine."_

_She frowned slightly as the first cord of the song began to play. " I can't. Everyone is looking at us."_

_" Ignore them," he whipsered as he began to step in time with the musc. " Pretend it's just the two of us." But she was still nervous, so he leaned his head down so his mouth was close to her ear and began to sing along. " **Every time our eys meet, this feeling inside me, it almost more then I can take. Baby when you touch me, I can feel how you love me and it just blows me away.**" At the sound of his voice she began to clam down and let him lead her around the floor. " **I've never been this close to anyone or anything. I can hear your thoughts. I can see your dreams**" He spun her around slowly as the chorus began. "**I don't know you do what you do. I'm so in love with you. It just keeps getting better. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, forever and ever. Every little thing that you do, baby I'm amazed by you."**_

_He stopped singing and looked down at his bride. There were tears in her eyes and her gently wiped them away. " I mean it Kelsi, I really do. I am amazed by you." And he leaned down to kiss her again. _

**Anyways....I am not really happy with this one...but it's okay. But I love the next flashback so I am so exicted to get it up to...sometime next hopefully.....anyways I have up to chapter 5 done and ideas up to chapter 9.....but any suggestions for flashbacks would be lovely!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for all your reviews....I already have 14, which is in my opinion pretty good for 3 chapters. Anyways...the flashback in this chapter answers the question of why Ryan was the Mascot at the championship. Also I think that I am spending way to much time with my opa because there is a little part in this flashback which was insprired by his obessions with Volkswagons. You'll see what I mean. **

Travis grumbled slightly when his grandmother was done. " Awe....how come all your stories are so romantic? I mean, Scott Bolton is always talking about how his grandfather lead the East High Wildcat Basketball team to back to back state championship in his senior year. How come you don't tell us stories like that Grandpa?"

Ryan chukled slightly. "Because I have never lead the Wildcats to a championship game. But, Scott's grandfather is a very close friend of your grandmother and mine, and we were both at that game."

" Infact," Kelsi added with a smile, " Your father was actually apart of that game."

Eric gave his grandfather a questioning look. " You played basketball."

Ryan shook his head. " Oh, no....I can't play baskteball worth a darn. But I was part of that game....kind of. And it was all your grandmother's fault..."

_Ryan let out a sigh as he glanced at the alarm clock on the desk beside his bed. Although it was only 8:45 in the morning, he was already bored and restless. His parents were away in Europe for the weekend and his sister was still asleep...and since he greatly disliked being alone, he decided to call Kelsi- even though she had warned to never call her in the morning unless she needed to be up. _

_He rolled his eyes as her phone kept ringing, and after the 4th ring he was about to hang when he heard a grumble on the other line. ' This better be good Evans."_

_" Good morning to you too, sergent sunshine.' She groaned at his cheerfulness and he laughed. ' How would you like to do me a favour?'_

_" What kind of favour?" she asked, still half asleep. _

_" A small one."_

_She groaned again. " But it's like not even nine in the morning and it's Saturday."_

_" I'll bring you breakfast," he said in an attempt to sweet- talk her. " And oh, I have something I want to show you."_

_" It better be a damn good breakfast."_

_He smiled. ' The best you have ever had. I'll be there in less then an hour, so be ready." He hung up before she had a chance to grumble at him again and then ran down the stairs to make her breakfast._

_Forty- Five minutes later he pulled into the Nielsen's driveway and honked his horn. Kelsi emerged from the front door moments later and he could out of the car to meet her in the driveway. _

_" What, no Vespa?" she asked, eyeing the car._

_" I decided to leave it at home today," he replied with a smirk._

_" And you decided to bring the car because?"_

_His smiled got bigger. " Not the car, Kels......my car."_

_She raised an eyebrow and loooked the car over. ' Your car?"_

_He nodded. " Yep. Got it yesterday. A graudation present from my grandparents." _

_She furrowed her brow. " But we aren't graduating for like four months. A little early for a present, don't you think?"_

_He shrugged. " That's what I said. But they really wanted to get me a Diesel Volkswagon Jetta, instead of a Gas. And apparently the '09 Diesel won't be available in North America until sometime next spring, so they ordered it from Germany. It arrived earlier then they had expected, and they couldn't just leave it in the shipping docks for fours months, so they they gave it to me early."_

_" I see..."_

_He shrugged his shoulders. " I mean it's no as flashly as a pink Mustang with my intials on it, but it does way way bettter mileage then that stupid car anyways. Also diesel is cheaper then gas and it has a kind a classy look, which I like. Plus, it I really wanted to I could drive that baby along the bottom of a river, as long as I had a tube circulating air to the engine." _

_She stared at him for a moment and then began to laugh. " You are just like every other guy when it comes to your car. And here I thought you were different."_

_" Hey, you would be just as excited if you got a car too."_

_She nodded. " Yeah, probably. So, anyways where are you taking me?"_

_" You'll see," he said with a smirk as he opened her door for her and then jogged around to get into the driver's seat. _

_" Oh yeah," he said afet he buckled his seat belt, " I almost forgot," he reached back to the back seat and grabbed a paper bag and handed it to her along with a thermos, " your breakfast, Miss Nielsen. A lightly toasted plain beagel with herb and garlic cream cheese, a cup of camomile tea with one teaspoon of honey, and a cinnamon bun complements of Zeke." _

_" Thanks...wait, you saw Zeke this morning? I thought he was in Salt Lake City for the weekend, visiting his grandparents."_

_" He is," Ryan confirmed as he put the car into reverse, backed out of her driveway and then turned onto the street, " but our freezer is full of his baking. He is always bringing stuff over for my sister, which is great for me because I always have something to snack on."_

_About fifteen minutes later they pulled into a gym parking loy and Kelsi gave him a questioning look. " What are we doing here?"_

_He rolled his eyes at her playfully as they both got out of the car and he locked the doors. ' What do most people do at a gym, Kels? I'm going to work out."_

_" Why?"_

_" To keep in shape silly." _

_She playfully smacked his arm. " I know that, I'm not dumb. I just didn't peg you as the kind of guy that does to the gym, that's all."_

_He shrugged. " My dance instructor insists on it. She says that it is very imporant for someone who takes dance seriously to be in top condition." She nodded, that did make sense. " Normally I have a trainer that comes with me, but he is on vacation. But that's okay, I am only going to bonce aroun on the trampoline today. I am not going to do anything really hard."_

_" And I am here because?"_

_He smiled. " You're going to be my spotter." He held the door to the gym open as they both walked through._

_" Spotter?"_

_" Yeah, you know, stand by the edge of the trampoline, hold your hands up and catch me if I fall."_

_She stopped walking and shook her head at her. " I hate to ruin your great plan there, Mr. Evans, but I am like five two and one hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. If you accidentally landed on me, you might actually kill me."_

_He stopped walking too, looked her over for a moment and then smacked his forehead. " Duh, great thinking there Evans."_

_She smirked at his antics. ' We'll just call it a dumb blonde moment."_

_" Hey, I take offence to that, shorty." He tried to sound serious, but it didn't work, and they both burst into laughter._

_After they had stopped laughing, they walked up to the front desk and Ryan pulled out a membership cars and then paid for Kelsi. The man behind the desk pressed a button which unlocked a door to a room full of equipment. " Thanks, " Ryan said as he held the door open for Kelsi. " Okay, I'm going to go get changed. I guess you can head over to the trampoline over there.' He pointed to a trampoline in the far left corner of the gym. She nodded and headed in that direction. _

_A couple of minutes later he came back waerinf his New York t-shirt and a pair of dark blue shorts. He took off his shoes and then jumped up onto the trampoline and started boucning around. When he did a back flip, Kelsi could not help but stare at him in awe. " I didn't know you could not that."_

_He shrugged. " I have lots of down time, and nothing better to do."_

_She glanced at him. " Okay, whatever." He smiled at her and did a twist in the air. " Anyways," she continued once he had landed, " how is the routine for cheer going?"_

_He stopped bouncing and groaned. " Don't ask." About a month ago Martha gad asked him if he would help the cheerleaders - and Jimmie, they guy who is the Mascot- choreograph a routine for the championship game, and he had been more then happy to help. " Jimmie broke his leg yesterday." he explained. _

_" Ouch," she winced. _

_He nodded. " Yeah, it doesn't look good. And now I have a problem. I either have to find someone to replace him and teach them the routine in three days, or I have to create a whole new routine without a mascot and teach it to the entire squad." He sighed. " Where am I going to fine someone who can do all those tumbles?"_

_She watched as he did the splits in the air and rolled her eyes. " Ryan, why don't you just do it?"_

_He stopped jumping again and shook his head. " What? Are you crazy?"_

_" No, I'm serious. Then you don't have to teach anyone anything. I mean you can obviously do the routine, you are the one who created it."_

_" No way. I mean then I have to waer that ridiculous wildcat costume."_

_She raised her eyebrows at him. " Ryan, your tikki warrior outfit was a ridiculous costume and you were planning on wearing that for the talent show. Besides, there is a mask so no one has to know that it's you."_

_" Exactly. What's the point of me doing it if no one is going to know it's me."_

_She laughed at his childish pout and then tapped the side of the trampoline and indicated for him to take a seat. When he sat down she gently placed her hands on his shoulders. " Because, I will know it's you. And while Gabriella is cheering on her wildcat, I'll be cheering on mine. And he will actually look like a wildcat." _

_He looked into her eyes for a moment and then he suddenly had the urge to kiss her. The feeling had come so quickly and out of nowhere that it took him by surprise and he swiftly slide off the trampoline, causing her hands to fall off his shoulders. " Um...." he bent down put on his shoes in an attempt to hide his embarrassment._

_She frowned slighlty at his sudden change in behaviour. " So are you going to do it or not?"_

_There was a moment of slience and then he nodded. " Fine, just for you, I'll do it."_

_She looked down at him and could not help but smile. Then she grabbed his hand. " Ryan," she said softly. He looked up at her, and before he realized what was going on, she was kissing him. A moment later she pulled away and had an embraased look on her face, as if she could not blieve that hse had just done that._

_After a moment he cleared his throat and put on a small smile. " You better cheer loud for me."_

_She smiled back and unchracteristically giggled. " Go, Wildcats, Go."_

**So there you go....another chapter. I don't that I will be able to get Chapter 5 up until sometime next week. But don't worry..it will be coming. Also I just learned that there is a very good chance that I have the internet on my computer once more starting May 1....which is flipping awsome!!! **

**Anyways....reviews are always nice **


	5. Chapter 5

**I didn't think that I would be able to post another chapter this week....but I somehow found the time. I am surprised that most people liked the dumb blonde moment in the last chapter....but whatever. **

**As for this flashback...I wanted to write something about Ryan's friendship with the guys...and I used Chad to kind of represent them all...this chapter is not as cute as the others...infact the flashblack doesn't even involve Kelsi. But I really like it. **

**And oh...I didn't even give the last chapter a title....so I am going to call it " Go Wildcats Go."**

**Chapter 5: That's sounds like a deal to me **

" You were the mascot," Eric said with a chuckle. " How come that doesn't surprise me?"

Ryan smiled and shurgged his shoulders. But Travis rolled his eues. " I thought that wasn't be a romantic story?"

" It wasn't" Ryan countered. " It was about how I became the Wildcat Mascot for one game."

" But you and grandma kissed," Travis pointed out.

Ryan chuckled. " And so we did. But I couldn't leave that part out, I mean that was the first time we kissed. It was very important."

" Whatever grandpa. Did you ever actually play on a team? I mean really play, not acting out a scene where you played on a team or something like that."

Ryan nodded. " Yeah, in my senior year I was on the baseball team."

" Really?" Travis sounded a little bit sceptical.

" Uh huh. I was the star player. Although I didn't make the team the first time I tried out."

" Why?"

" Well...because sometimes people who shouldn't be coaches, are. But, it's a good thing that I have friends who were always there for me, and willing to stick up for me even if it wasn't the most popular thing to do...."

_" You promised man. I mean, I did dance in the talent show." Chad pointed out as he glanced over at his friend. _

_" I know, I know. It's just....well, beside you and the rest of our group of friends, no one really knows that I can play baseball. What if I go out there and the coach doesn't like me, or he thinks that I am not worth making the team."_

_Chad raised his eyebrows. " Are you nervous Evans? I didin't think the word nervous was in the Evams family vocabulary."_

_Ryan shook his hed. " I'm not nervous....I'm not nervous at all." But he didn't even sound convincing to himself. " Okay, maybe a little bit."_

_"_ _So do what you do_ _to calm yourself before the openinf night of a show."_

_" You want me to meditate and do yoga, here in the boys change room? Ryan glanced around the small space and shuddered. In his opinion the floor did not look clean enough for him to lie - or even sit- on._

_Chad laughed." Maybenot. But don't freak out dude. Seriously, you are really talented and if you don't make the team that is the coaches' loss." ryan smiled slightly and took a deep breath. " Look man, just go out there and play the best you can. That's all you can do. Okay?" Ryan nodded. " Good. Now, WHAT TEAM?"_

_" Wildcats," Ryan mumbled. _

_" I can't hear you Evans. I said WHAT TEAM?"_

_" WILDCATS."_

_Chad slapped him on the back. " Okay, now go get your head in the game."_

_Ryan and Chad quickly changed into appropriate clothes, grabbed their mitts and headed outside to the baseball diamonds where the tryouts were being held. But as soon as Ryan saw who the coach was, he felt sick in the stomach. " I can't do this," he whispered to Chad as they went to stand in line with ther rest of the high school boys who were trying out. _

_" You can't back out now, man."_

_Ryan shook his head. " No, you don't getg it," he pointed to the coach who was busy placing the bases in the their proper places, " that's Jack Andrews."_

_Chad nodded. ' Yeah, I know. He was on both the baseball and basketball team when we were in fresman year."_

_" Yeah, well he doesn't like me very much ."_

_" You don't know that."_

_" Yeah I do," Ryan kept looking at the coach nervously. " Jack and his friends...they used to...well...let's just say they weren't very nice to me in freshman year. And more often then not I would end up in a locker or with my head in the toliet. They thought it was fun to pick on me." _

_Chad scowled. " Well, if he picks on you now, he'll have to answer to me." Ryan glanced over at Andrews and grimanced. Although he did appreciate his friend' s gesture, he knew that it was only talk. Chad knew that if he picked a fight with the former East High Wildcat, he would definitely not make the team and might even get his ass kicked. _

_" Okay boys, I am going to divide you into two teams and then we'll get started." Jack glanced down at the sign up sheet and began lisiting off names. " Gibbs you're on my right and Best you're on my left. MaCarty behind Gibbs, Smith behind Best. Johnson you're with Gibbs and MaCarty," he paused as he saw the next name on the list and looked up at the group of boys for the first time since he had arrived, his gaze stopping on Ryan. " Well, well, well, Ryan Evans, trying out for a school team. Never thought I would see this day." He smirked at the blonde and continued. " I almost didn't recongnize you without your pink tutu."_

_Chad attempted to move forward and lunge at the coach, but Ryuan held up a hand to stop him. " Keep your cool, man." he whispered. _

_" Did you get lost Twinkle Toes? Or perhaps you'e here beacuse you enjoy watching other boys get all sweaty and dirty?"_

_A couple of the boys snickered, but shut up as soon as they got a stern look from Chad. And Ryan took a deep breath and the stared at the coach, determinf not to show that the words huts. All those year in the theatre must have paid off because when he opened up his mouth to respond to the coacy he sounded as calm as someone who was disucssing the weather with an old acquaintace. " I'm here to play ball coach. That's all. And I have just as much right to be here as te rest of them."_

_Jack looked Ryan over for a second. " You can actually play ball? I don't believe that." He chuckled to himself and then added. " On second thought maybe I do believe you play with balls."_

_Ryan clenched his fists together slightly, but still remained calm. He refused to allow this jerk to have the upper hand. " Yes sir. Actually I 've been playing ball for almost ten years now."_

_Jack raised his eyebrows at Ryan's response, surprised at how much he was keeping his cool. " Is that so? Well then let's see you play, Evans. Unless you are too scared." _

_" I'm not afraid of a baseball, or you."_

_" Good." Jack smiled a sly grin," How about I make you a little deal, then. If you can hit the ball further then I can, I will quit. I mean there are plenty of people who would love to have this job. But, if I hti further then you, then you might as well not show up to practices because there is no way in hell that I am going to let you join the team."_

_" Hey, that's not fair," Chad yelled, but Jack ignored him. _

_" So what do you say dancer boy? Got game?"_

_" You don't have to do this," Chad whisperd to Ryan, but he shook his head. _

_" Yeah I do. If I walk away everyone here is going to think that I am a coward."_

_" I won't," Chad said sincerely. _

_Ryan looked at his friend for a moment, then at the boys who were anxiously awaiting his answer, and then finally at the coach. " Deal."_

_Jack grinned and Ryan gulped. What had he gotten into? The rest of the boys folllowed the coach as they made there way over to the other side of the backstop where there was a pitching machine set up. Jack grabbed a bat and walked up to home plate. " I'll go first." Then he threw a ball to one of the boys. " Gibbs, start up the machine."_

_There was a buzz of a motor as the machine fired up and then a loud crack as the ball flew through the machine and then made contact with the bat. The ball flew high into the air and landed on the other side of the fence that marked the end of East High property. As the ball landed several of the boys let out a low whistle and Jack turned to Ryan and let out a small chuckle. " Good luck trying to beat that, Evans."_

_Ryan took a look at where the ball had landed and suddenly felt like this was a very bad idea. But he was an Evans, and an Evans never backed out of anything. Even if an Evans failed, they failed with dignity and with their heads held up high. SO he took a deep breath, tilted his hat to the side and walked up to plate, determined to hit that ball over that fence. _

_Ryan pulled his bat back over his shoulder and kept his eye on the ball as it came speeding towards him. He heard another loud crack as he swung with all his might, causing that ball to fly high into the air. He held his breath as the ball got closer and closer to the fence...and then landed a few feet in front the fence. Ryan felt his heart sink, he had failed. _

_When Jack saw where Ryan's ball had landed he turned to the blonde and laughed. " That would be what I call a fail, don't you think boys?" Several of the boys nodded and voiced their agreement. " A deals a deal, Evans. You know what to do."_

_Ryan sighed in defeat and turned to walk back to the school. But he stopped when he heard Chad's voice. " You just kissed your chance at championships, I hope you know that. And you are about to lose two of the best players here, becaues I refuse to play on a team that doesn't treat everyone fairly and has such an asshole for a coach." He walked over to Ryan and placed a hand on his shoulder. " Let's go man, we don't need these losers." And together they walked back to the school. _

_The next day Ryan walked down the hall to his locker, keepinghis head low. Although he knew that not many of the students had been at the practice, he felt like everyone's eyes was on him. _

_He grabbed his books and then quickly began the walk to homeroom. But he stopped when he saw Troy, Chad and Gabriella hanging out by Troy's locker. He walked up to them and they all greeted him with a smile. _

_" Hey, there Ry," Gabi said kindly. " How's it going?"_

_When Ryan didn't respond in his normal chipper way, she frowned. " What's wrong?"_

_He shook his head and glanced at Chad. " Uh, nothing, I'm fine."_

_Troy and Gabi glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders. But Chad didn't say anything. He had a feeling he knew what was up with his friend. _

_Ryan began to nervously look around and then let out a small breath. " Uh...do you tihnk I could talk you Chad? Alone?"_

_Chad nodded and then led the way to homeroom, leaving a rather confused Troy and Gabi behind. _

_" Look," Ryan began, " About yesterday...."_

_" It was no big deal man, that's what friends are for." _

_Ryan shook his head. " No, it was a big deal. Nobody has ever donwe something liek that for me before...and...well, I really appreciate that."_

_Chad smiled. " You would have done the same thing for me."_

_" Well, I don't think I would have called the coach an asshole. But, as for being a good friend, most definietly." _

_Chad kept on smiling and then opened his mouth to say that he normally didn't call coaches names like that either, but he was intruppted by someone calling his name. It was Coach Bolton._

_" DANFORTH! What's this I hear about you walking out of the baseball tryouts yesterday and being rude to the coach."_

_Chad gave Ryan a nervous glance and thne turned to face the coach. " Uh..yeah...well about that..."_

_" You better have a good excuse young man, because that is not exceptable behaviour for any memeber of my team, never mind a captain."_

_Chad looked at the coach and frowned. He didin't like disappointing someone he greatly admired. " Well...you're always telling saying that a team can never really be a breat team until everyone on it respects one another. And your're always talking about how we have to stick up for one another and all that. And that's what I did."_

_The coach nodded. "And who were you sticking up for?"_

_Ryan looked between the coach and Chad and then stepped forward slightly. " Me, sir."_

_Coach Bolton glanced at the blonde, surprised. " You were trying out for the baseball team? I never took you as the type of guy who played sports." He shook his head at himself. " But then again, I never took Troy as the someone who could sing and act, and look at him now."_

_Chad smiled slightly. " Coach, Ryan is one of the best baseball players I think I have ever seen." His smile turned into a frown as he continued. " But coach Andrews is refusing to allow him to be on the team. All he did was call Ryan names and humiliated him in front of everyone. And I won't play on a team where the coach does not have respect for his players. You taught me that."_

_Coach Bolton smiled at his son's best friend. " And I am proud of you Chad." He glanced over at Ryan. " Do you still want to be on the team?"_

_" Will Jack still be the coach?"_

_Coach Bolton shook his head. " Not if I have something to say about it."_

_Ryan nodded slowly. " Yeah, I wouldn't mind being on the team But I want to try outfirst. I don't want to be on the team because you feel sorry for me or something like that. I only want to be on the the team if I am good enough." _

_The coach nodded. " Sounds like a deal to me. Now, the two of you better head off to homeroom before Darbus figures out that you were talking to me and comes after me with a stage prop or something like that."_

_Chad laughed and Ryan rolled his eyes. Although Ms. Darbus and Coach Bolton' s attitude towards each other had changed slightly since his son had joined the drama club, there was still te occasional bickering. But as they headed off towards homeroom, Ryan could not help but smile. It was an odd feelingf to have a friend like Chad, one who truly had his back, and to have someone like Coach Bolton treat him with respect. But it was a feeling he definitely could get used to. _

**So chapter 6 most likely won't be up until next week. **


	6. Chapter 6

**So I have no idea where the Evans really live ( like what street and all that) so in this story they live in a gated community called Pine Ridge. Also I have no idea how much a bus fair is so it is now $1.35 American!! Anyways I just realized that in chapters 2, 4 and now 6 all the flashbacks begin with a phonecall. But I will be breaking the pattern because chapter 8 will not begin with a phone call. **

**And of course...thanks for all the reviews...they always make me happy!!!!**

**Chapter 6: To Boldly Go Where No Rich Kid Has Gone Before**

" That Jack person wasn't very nice," Alannah said matter of factly once her grandfather had finished his story.

Her twin nodded her head in agreement. " Yeahm not very nice at all."

Ryan glanced down at the two of them. " I agree, but unfortunately there are people like him out there."

" Well, I am not one of them," Alannah stated proudly, and again her sister nodded in agreement.

Ryan smiled. " Good." Then he glanced over at Travis. " There wasn't any romance in that story, now was there?"

Travis shrugged his shoulders. " No, I guess there wasn't."

" And did you like that story?"

He nodded his head. " Sure, it was okay."

Ryan grinned, that would be a good enough answer. For now. " Say, Travis what did you do in school tody? We heard all about your brother's free fall and your's sisters new romance, did anything interesting happen to you?"

" Well, this month we are learning about different jobs we can have in the future. And everyday somebody's parent comes in to talk about their job." Ryan nodded, he heard about that from Robert - who talked to the class two weeks ago about what it was like to be a firefighter. " Today Cara's mom came in. She is a transit bus driver and we even got to take a ride on the bus. It was kind of cool."

" I bet."

' Hey grandpa?" Marissa asked suddenly. " Have you ever actually been on the bus?"

Ryan grinned at her. " As a matter of fact I have."

" And let me guess. It was all grandma's fault."

Ryan laughed. " Hey, there are a lot of things I would have never done it it hadn't have been for your grandma. And riding the transit bus was one of them."

Kelsi glanced over at her husband and rolled her eyes. " You know Ryan, taking the bus is not really that big of a deal."

" Well for someone who never to to do it before, it is."

She smiled at him. " Whatever. Anyways, yes I have made your grandfather try many new things over the years. But it was always for his own good....."

_" Hey there Ry, what's up?" Kelsi asked as she opened her cell phone and contiuned to fold her laundry, her phone resting between her neck and shoulder._

_" Oh, hey Kels. Look, I can't find the keys to my Vespa," he sounded disgruntled and she could not help but smiled as she pictured to face he was no doubt making, " and my sister is using the limo, so I won't be able to met you at the mall at twelve like I said I would. It will probably me more like three before I can get there."_

_She folded one her dad's sweaters and added it to his pile. " Uh...why don't you just use that very expenisve car your grandparents bought you."_

_" It's in the shop, remember? Because someone decided to drive it into a lamp post."_

_" Oh yeah. Sorry about that." She had almost forgotten about the incident which had happened last week. In her defence, she had told him before she got behind the wheel that driving was not her speciality. _

_He chuckled softly. " It's a good thing I like you so much Miss Nielsen. Otherwise I would have kicked your butt by now."_

_She gasped in mock terror at his remark. " You wouldn't dare."_

_" I wouldn't be so sure of that if I was you."_

_" Well then, I'll just have to pay more attention to you Mr. Evans."_

_" I think I would live with that."_

_She could not help but smile at his reponse. " Good."_

_" Anyways, so are you okay with me being a little bit late?"_

_" Sure......wait why don't we just take the bus?"_

_" The bus? As in the tranist bus?" He sounded slightly confused, almost as if the idea of taking the bus had not even crossed his mind. But then again, considerin who he was, that was a good possibility. _

_She rolled her eyes at him - even though he could not see her. " No, Ryan. We're going to take the school bus. Of course the tranist bus." There was a short pause on the other line before she contiuned. " Have you ever been on the bus?" Someitmes she forgot that the Evans family sort of lived in a different world then hers. One where they most likely did not take public transportation. _

_" No. Why would I take the bus, Kels? My family has a limo, and I have a Vespa. And I would have a car if I hadn't been such a push-over and allowed my girlfriend to drive."_

_She laughed at his logic. " I guess that does make sense. And you are not a push-over. You're sweet and sensitive and kind and caring and adorable and wonderful..."_

_" Okay, okay, enough already."_

_" What?" she asked inncoently. " I'm just telling you the truth."_

_" It's just....wait. Really? You think that I'm wonderful?" He sounded a mix between being surprised and embarrassed. _

_" Perhaps." She smiled as she pictured him blushing. " Anyways, there is a bus stop about three blocks from the North Entrance of Pine Ridge, meet me there in forty-five minutes. And bring some change, okay?"_

_" Right....um...sure." He was still in slight shock with the fact that she thought so highly of him. _

_" Good. See you then." And then she hung up, chuckling to herself about his bewilderment to her complements. _

_Less then an hour later Kelssi stepped off the bus and put a smile on her face as she noticed Ryab sitting on the bench bobbing his head along with a song playing on his ipod. When she realized that he didn't noticed she had arrived, she snuck up behinf him and pulled out his earphones. _

_" What?" He spun around and grinned when he noticed her behind him. " Oh....hey Kels. You scared me."_

_She gave him a cheeky grin. " Oh really?"_

_He rolled his eyes at her. " Whatever Kels. So...uh...do you actually know which bus we need to get on? Because I've been here for like twenty minutes and and I've seen like ten different buses go by. What if we get on the wrong one? And how do you know that it's safe? I mean anyonne could just rob you." He was starting to sound nervous and she could not help but laugh. _

_" Don't worry there, Richie Rich. It's just the bus. " He glared at her with narrowed eyes for calling him ' Richie Rich', but she just ignored him and contiuned. " Nothing is going to happen. And if it does, I'll be right there beside you. Now hurry up, or we're going to miss our bus."_

_He grabbed his bag from the ground beside the bench and they moved over the stand in the small line that was forming to get onto the next bus. _

_" You should probably get your money out now," Kelsi said when she noticed the bus turn the corner onto the street they were on. " It costs $1.35. And when we get on ask for a transfer, okay?"_

_He nodded as he pulled out his wallet and the bus came to a stop in front of him. They followed the line onto the bus and Kelsi flashed her bus pass. Ryan put his money in the collection box and asked for a transfer. Then they went to go and sit down in the only two available seats in the front of the bus. _

_" So far so good?" Kelsi asked once they were both seated. _

_" I think I can handle it." He replied with a nod. _

_" Good, because I don take the bus often and if you can't hack it, well then I don't think this whole realtionship thing is going to work."_

_He glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. " Okay then, if you say so."_

_She chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. " You know that I'm joking. I wouldn't break up with you just because you didn't want to take the bus. Although I would think there was something wrong with you."_

_He chuckled and then leaned down to lightly kiss her on the lips. Then he grabbed her hand as the bus came to another stop. _

_The only person to come on the bus was an older gentlemen. And upon seeing that there was no available seats, Ryan let go of Kelsi's hand and offered his to the man, who looked at the couple for a second and then smiled. " Why, thank you young man."_

_" It was no problem sir," Ryan siad with a nod as he went to go stand on the other side of Kelsi to make more room for the older man. _

_The man sat there in silence for a moment and then looked up at Ryan with curious eyes. " Not that it's any of my businees you man, but you don't take the buss often, do you?"_

_Ryan glanced down at the man slightly surprised. " No, I don't. This is actually the first time I've take public transportaion. How did you know that?" _

_The man smiled. " I just had a feeling. You seem to be fairly well put together. Plus I happened to know that those shoes you are wearing cost quite a bit of money."_

_Ryan glanced down at his shoes and slowly nodded. They were a gift from his grandparents last Christmas and they did indeed cost lots of money. __" Well, I must say that I am proud of you," The man contiuned. _

_Ryan frowned slightly. " Proud, sir?"_

_" Yes, proud. There are not very many people like you that would take the bus. Surely you must know that?" Ryan nodded. " And not many young people these days - rich or poor- would have offered me their seat and on top of that called me sir. It makes me happy to know that at least someone in this world is heading in the right direction." Then he glanced at Kelsi. " And I take it you are involved with this fine young gentleman?"_

_Kelsi blushed slightly and nodded. " Yes."_

_The old man looked between the two and them and nodded again. " Good, that's good. This world is already full of hatred and cruelty. If he treats you as well as he treats his elders, you young lady hve found yourself a good man."_

_It was Ryan's turn to feel slightly proud. He was not used to getting compliments from complete strangers. _

_The man looked back at Ryan and then contiuned. " Trust me young man, when you get to be my age, the money and the material things you had when you are younger won't be what you remember the most. No, what you will remember the most will be the memories you make doing things you never thought you could do, and the smiple things - like spending time with this lovely young lady here. But I have a feeling you already know that." He glanced up out the window and then began to get up. ' Well, this is my stop. It was nice talking to you son," he held out his hand and Ryan shook it. This seemed to make him smile even more. Then he gently grabbed Kelsi hand and kissed it lightyl. " Miss."_

_Then the bus stopped and he got off. And once the bus started to move again he turned around to take one more glance at the young couple and then disappeared down the street._

**Well...what did you think?**

**I have no idea when Chapter 7 will be up because I have not even starting writing it yet ( although I do have it all planed out...actually I have up to chapter 11 planned out and I am very exicted about some of the chapters that are coming up). As far as I know I am getting the internet sometime in the next two weeks...so I might wait until then to post next so that I don't have to re-type, because that is a real pain. **

**Anyways....reviews and suggestions for flashbacks are always nice. **


	7. Chapter 7

**First off I am really really sorry that I have not updated this since the middle of April, but time has seemed to just slip away from me. I can not believe that it is already the 3****rd**** of Sept. Anyways, this is quite a long flashback just to warn you, but I really like it. Not only is their some great Relsi moments, but also a really sweet Ryan and Sharpay heart-to-heart. For those of you who have read the start of my story " Paddle Hard." this flashback might feel like it would fit that story better. And originally it was for that story. But I really liked the idea and I wanted to post it….so instead of having to wait forever to get to that part in " Paddle Hard" I posted it here. This flashback was inspired by a canoe trip I had in grade 11 and also by the summer I just had working in cottage country. I hope you enjoy it. **

**PS - In this Kelsi has perfect pitch…just because. And I know that you are not legally allowed to bring live minnows on a canoe trip ( at least not where I live) but I don't care, I wrote it anyways. Oh and Annie and Jeff as the guides on the trip. **

" Did you ever see that old man again, Grandpa?" Alannah asked curiously.

Ryan shook his head. " No sweetie. But you know, he was right. The things that stick with you the most are not the material things, but the memories."

There was glint in Ryan's eye and Kelsi could see that he was thinking of something special.

" What are you thinking, Ry?" she asked as she poured herself a cup ice-tea.

He smiled. " The day that I finally asked you to be my girlfriend.

Travis let out a small groan. " Great. You're going to tell another romantic story."

Ryan chuckled. " Perhaps. But I wouldn't knock romance just yet young man. One of these days you are find the girl that is right for you and then you won't think that all this is so silly…..

" _Where's Sharpay?" Coach Bolton asked after he did a quick head count and realized that the blonde was missing. _

_Taylor and Gabriella exchanged a glance and then giggled. " She's coming, Mr. Bolton," Gabi said with a smile. _

_And sure enough a couple minutes later Sharpay came stumbling down the trail that lead from the tents to the campsite. Ryan rolled his eyes when he saw her but kept eating his breakfast in silence. _

" _It's nice of you to join us Miss Evans," Coach Bolton said sarcastically._

_She just grumbled, grabbed her breakfast from Annie's hands and slumped down on a log around the fire. _

_They ate quickly and in silence, all eager to get on the lake and enjoy what looked like a nice day. Even Sharpay was excited because she figured she could definitely get a start on a tan. But her excitement was dampened when Coach Bolton walked up to her holding a paddle. _

" _Sharpay, since you are the only one in the group who has yet to paddle I think it's fair to say that today is your turn," he said holding out the paddle for her to take._

_She shook her head. " What if I refuse?"_

" _Well…then we'll just leave you here."_

_Everyone stopped eating and watched intently, no doubt expecting back talk. They were not disappointed. _

" _Well then, I'll just call up my daddy and he will pick me up!"_

_Ryan snorted and she glared at him. Coach Bolton rolled his eyes. " Take a look around sweetheart. We are in the middle of nowhere. It would be a week at least before your dad even knows that you are missing. And another couple of days after that for someone to come and get you. You might as well suck it up and paddle for a couple of hours."_

_She scowled and then put on a smug smile. Ryan and Kelsi exchanged a glance. They knew that look. She was up to something. " Fine, I'll paddle. But only if I get to pick who is in my canoe."_

_Coach Bolton shrugged his shoulders and then sighed. He was not really in the mood to argue more then necessary. " Fine."_

_She smiled a fake smile at him. " I pick….Jeff," she said sweetly. _

_The coach shook his head. " Now, that's not fair…." _

_Jeff cut in " It's alright Jack. Anyways, it's probably a good idea if one of the guides go with her." _

" _Fine, she's all yours Jeff." Sharpay clapped her hands together enthusiastically. Everyone rolled their eyes and Zeke frowned at her. And then she got up, picked up a paddle that was leaning against a log and walked over to where her brother and Kelsi were sitting. "And I also picked Ryan."_

_He stared up at her and she just shrugged her shoulders and placed the paddle beside him. " Have fun paddling ," she said smugly and then stalked off towards the tents. _

_Ryan groaned. He was not looking forward to spending four or five hours in a boat with his sister. Especially when Jeff would be sitting in-between them, and Sharpay would no doubt use the opportunity of practice her flirting. _

_About an hour later everything was packed up and the canoes were in the water. The boat with Ryan, Jeff and Sharpay was still on the island's shore, while everyone else was in open water. _

" _Jeff!" Sharpay snapped. " Why are we not moving?" Both Jeff and Ryan rolled there eyes. " Sharpay, you have to put the paddle in the water," Jeff pointed out in a rather annoyed tone. _

_Sharpay looked over her shoulder at him and gave an apologetic smile. "Oops…sorry." She placed her paddle in the water and they headed towards the rest of the group. _

_Once they had caught up to the rest of the group, Jeff called everyone to gather their canoes around him and told them what was going on. _

" _Okay gang, we have a long trip ahead of us today so I don't want any goofing off, you are all going to need to pull your weight. Annie, Martha and Zeke will be leading, and Ryan, Sharpay and I will bring up the rear. If any of you have problems signal one of us - or Coach Bolton or Ms. Darbus- using your flashers. Any questions?"_

_Everyone shook their heads. _

" _Okay, good. Let's head out."_

_The group broke apart and they all began following Annie. _

_After they had been paddling in silence for a couple of minutes Sharpay turned her head around and smirked at Jeff and her brother. " So, Ry, what where you and Kelsi doing so early this morning down by the lake?"_

_Ryan grumbled " None of your damn business." " You don't have to get all defensive. I'm just worried, that's all."_

" _Worried?" _

" _Of course. You are my baby brother after all-" _

" _By like two minutes," he interrupted. _

_She ignored him and continued. " - and I do have more experience in the relationship department. I just don't want you to end up getting hurt or go do something foolish."_

_Ryan scowled. " Something foolish, Sharpay? Seriously, what do you think we were doing? Having sex? And besides, just because you happen to be older then me and you are more " experienced" that does not give you the right to decide what I do or do not do with my girlfriend." She glanced back at her brother and raised an eyebrow. " So she is your girlfriend, then?" _

_Ryan blushed slightly. " It's…it's complicated." Although he and Kelsi had been getting a lot closer this past year and they did go to prom together and had kissed a couple of times , he wasn't really sure if she was what someone might officially call his girlfriend. But he was hoping that this would one day change….soon._

" _Complicated? How the hell is it complicated, Ryan? Either she is your girlfriend, or she's not?"_

" _Is Zeke your boyfriend?" he retaliated. _

_Sharpay frowned slightly. " It's complicated."_

" _Right. Sure it is."_

_She glared at him but didn't say anything. Jeff glanced between the twins and let out a sigh. It was going to be a long trip. _

_About an hour later Jeff turned around, raised his eyebrows at Ryan and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Sharpay . She had not said anything since Ryan's little sarcastic retort, which was quite odd. Ryan just shrugged his shoulders. _

" _I think you should just tell her how you feel," Sharpay said suddenly, causing both Jeff and Ryan to jump slightly._

" _Who…what..huh?" Ryan asked, still slightly taken aback that his sister had said something after her hour of silence. _

_Sharpay let out a slightly frustrated groan. " God Ryan, do you have ADD or something? Kelsi…" she said Kelsi's name slow and as if she was talking to a two year old, " …you know, the short piano player with glasses that you for some unknown reason have feelings for."_

" _Oh," he mumbled, not to happy to be talked down to," and how do you suppose I do that?"_

_She turned around and glared at him. " I don't know. But contrary to popular belief, Ryan, you actually have a brain. Perhaps you should use it," she snapped and then whipped around again. _

_He scowled, but didn't say anything. Perhaps- underneath all of her put downs- Sharpay actually had a point. He really should just get on with it and tell her how he felt. Before it was to late. _

_The remainder of the trip was relatively quiet , which Ryan was quite thankful for. As they were paddling to the shore of the island where they would spend the night, the canoe with Troy, Chad and Gabi pulled up beside them._

" _Hey Jeff," Troy called out as he placed his paddle on Jeff's canoe and pulled himself closer to the guide, " think we could perhaps do a little fishing before we unpack?"_

" _Uh, sure. I don't see why not." Jeff turned around to speak to Ryan. " Could you pass me that bucket behind you there, please."_

_Ryan nodded and handed him the bucket. _

" _Thanks."_

" _Uh…what's in there ?" Gabi - who was sitting in the middle of Troy's canoe between the two guys - asked with a look on her face that suggested that perhaps she really didn't want to know what was in the bucket . _

" _Minnows." _

" _They're dead, right?" Sharpay asked as she glanced at the bucket which was being passed to Chad. _

" _Nope," Chad replied with a big smile on his face as he placed his hand in the bucket to pull out a live minnow. " Pass me a rod will you Troy."_

_Gabi gave a little scream and turned away as Chad took the rod from Troy and then hooked his minnow on the end of the hook . _

" _That is so gross and disturbing," Sharpay said matter of factly before also turning away. Ryan had to agree with her. Sticking a hook through a living thing - even if it was a small wriggling minnow- was not that appealing to him. _

_Chad just shrugged his shoulders and gave the rod to Gabi. " Here Gabs. Hold on to that for a second, will you."_

_She nodded apprehensively as she grabbed the rod from him, trying hard not to touch the minnow which was still wriggling slightly. _

_Chad then put two more minnows on rods for him and Troy and they both pushed off of Jeff's canoe and paddled back into more open water. _

_Ryan and Sharpay paddled their canoe right up to shore. As Ryan stood up to get out he overheard Troy telling Gabi that the best way to catch a fish was to let her minnow hit the bottom and then lightly jerk her line. It looked like she was having difficultly and he could tell that being a master angler was most definitely not in her future. _

_But twenty minutes later there was a loud squeal from their canoe mixed with Chad and Troy yelling " reel hard" as Gabi apparently - and quite miraculously - got a bite. _

_Ryan shook his head at himself as he watched Gabi reel in her fish. At least it looked like she was having fun. He turned around and walked back to where the tents were starting to be set up and suppressed a laugh as he saw Kelsi struggling up the hill carrying a huge backpack full of the rest of the tents. He knew that it wasn't really that funny and that he shouldn't laugh, but the disgruntled look on her face was just way too damn cute. _

" _Need a hand there Kels?" he asked with a smile as he jogged over to her._

" _No," she grunted, " I think I can manage on my own."_

_He raised an eyebrow at her and took the bag from her anyways. _

_For a moment she looked like she was going to protest, but then she just smiled at him._

_He smiled back as he placed the bag on the ground with the rest of their stuff. " So…um…" He mentally kicked himself. Why was it suddenly so hard for him to talk to her? " ….did you see that Gabi caught a fish?" Gabi caught a fish! God, he thought, that's real smooth Evans, real smooth._

" _Yeah."_

_There was a moment of silence and Ryan cleared his throat. " So…I was…well kind of doing some thinking."_

_She laughed slightly. " Oh really? Was that hard for you?"_

" _Hey!"_

_She just laughed harder. He just looked at her for a moment and then laughed to. Her laugh seemed to be so infectious._

_A moment later she regained her composure. " Okay, so what were you thinking about?"_

_He glanced down at his hand for a moment. Why was this so difficult? All he had to do was say that he liked her and that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. " I was…uh….thinking about how we spend-"_

" _RYAN!"_

_He groaned and momentarily placed his head in his hands before giving Kelsi an apologetic look and going over to his sister who was standing a few feet away. " What?" he snapped at her, not very please that she had just screwed up his chance at asking Kelsi out. _

" _Oh…nothing really. I was just wondering what you were up to," she replied sweetly as she walked away from where Kelsi was sitting. _

" _Are you serious?" he asked, his temper slowly raising as he followed her down to the lake. _

" _Yeah." She had on a confused look, as if she couldn't figure why he was getting upset. But he was not fooled, she knew exactly what was going on. _

" _Great Shar. Just great. What the hell do you want from me?"_

" _What do you mean?"_

_He gave her a venomous stare. " Oh please, cut the crap. In the boat you tell to just get on with it and tell Kelsi how I feel and now it seems like you don't want me to. And don't you dare tell me you didn't know that I was just about to ask her out. "_

" _Well I'm sorry to rain on your parade and all, but I have feelings too, you know." _

" _What?" he asked, confused at the turn this argument seemed to have taken and surprised to see that their were tears in her eyes. _

" _You're such an idiot Ryan. You don't get it, do you?" she shot back at him- fully crying now- and stalked off into the bush. _

" _Wait!" he called out after her. " What don't I get? Sharpay, come back." She didn't stop walking and he let out a huff before following after her. _

_She walked for a few moments and then sat down on a big rock. Ryan cautiously sat down beside her. " What don't I get?" he asked, this time in a calmer voice. It really made him sad to see his sister so clearly distraught. _

_She sniffed back a tear and Ryan handed her a napkin that was in his pocket. She took it and wiped her eyes. The she began to speak and there was a sadness in her voice that was slightly unnerving. Ryan had only heard that tone in her voice once - when their grandfather had died- and he knew that it was not a good thing. " I'm scared Ry."_

_He gently put his arm around her and pulled her into a small hug. He was surprised when she didn't pull away. _

" _Our whole life it's always been Ryan and Sharpay, you know. It was like we were one person."_

" _Tell me about it," he mumbled. _

_She let out a half hearted chuckle which caused Ryan to raise an eyebrow. He was expected her to snap at him for his comment. There was a moment of silence before she let out a sigh and continued. " And then Gabriella came and everyone kind of came out of their shell. Troy starting singing, Zeke baking, Martha dancing. And even you Ry" she sighed again. " even you've broken the " status quo". But I haven't! I'm still the stuck up bitchy Ice Queen. When is it my turn to defy the stereotypes?"_

_Ryan didn't know what to say. He had never seen his sister this open before. _

" _And what about in the fall?" she asked, now turning to look him in the eyes. " I mean you're off to New York and you are going to do amazing and live out your dreams. And I am stuck here….alone….without you." she whispered the last part, as if saying it out loud might make her fear of being without her brother bigger. She glanced down at her hands as she continued." I…I am not like you Ryan. I don't know how to make friends. I mean all my friends here are my friend because of you. None of them would even talk to me if it wasn't for you."_

" _That's not true. What about Zeke?"_

_She put her head in her hands. " I don't know….it's…it's way to complicated. I don't know why he likes me anyways. I don't deserve him."_

_Ryan shook his head. " Don't say that. Of course you deserve someone like Zeke. Look," he placed a hand on her chin and forced her to look into his eyes, " I don't know why Zeke had feelings for you, but he does. And contrary to popular belief you are a wonderful and caring person. And although you might not show it , I think you have feelings for him too."_

_She put on a weak smile and then let out another sigh. " Look, I'm sorry about screwing up your chances with Kelsi…I guess I just have to get used to the fact that I'm not the most important person in your life anymore."_

" _Sharpay, just because we are going our separate ways does not mean that I won't care about you anymore. Now don't worry, everything is going to be alright." He pulled her into a big hug and she hugged him back. " I love you Ry," she whispered into his ear. _

" _I know."_

_About two hours later, after all the tents were set up and everything was unpacked the whole group sat around a camp fire eating the fish that Gabi had caught. Although it was not a huge fish, it was a good eater and there had been enough meat for everyone to get a little taste - just enough for them to all conclude that Annie most definitely knew how to cook fish. _

" _Well, how about we sing a few camp fire songs?" Annie asked once everyone had finished eating. _

" _Camp fire songs?" Jason asked slightly confused. " I don't know any camp fire songs."_

_Martha rolled her eyes playfully at him. " There aren't really specific songs you have to sing around the fire, Jase. We can sing a song everyone knows."_

" _Like what?" he asked. " I don't really listen to the same music as some of you. I mean I don't know any show tunes like Ryan and Sharpay and Kelsi."_

" _Sure you do," Gabi said with a big smile. _

" _I do?"_

" _Senior Year was a show, wasn't it?"_

" _Yeah….oh we could sing a song from the show."_

" _Exactly. What do you all think?" she asked, looking around at the rest of the grab. _

_Ryan nodded vigorously at the idea. It would be fun to sing a song from the show just for fun._

_But Troy, Zeke and Chad did not looked as enthused as he did. "I don't know babe," Troy said with a slight frown, " it would kind of be hard to do without the music and it might not sound that good."_

" _Oh come on," Kelsi said suddenly. " It will be fun." _

_They all glanced at her and Ryan raised his eyebrows. He had expected her to be against the idea. Kelsi rarely liked to sing with the background music, never mind without. " And what song shall we sing?" he asked with a smile._

"_A Night to Remember," she replied matter of factly. " That is one of the only songs where we are all singing." She glanced over at all her friends and put on a big pout. " Please? Who cares if it doesn't sound exactly as it did in the show, as long as we have fun."_

_There was a moment of silence and then Troy put a big smile on his face and began to sing. __**" Guess now it's official,"**_

_Ryan, Kelsi and Gabi all muttered ' yes' under their breath as Chad continued. _

" _**Can't back out, can't back, no."**__ Then all the girls joined. __**" Getting ready, for the night of nights, the night of nights, all right."**_

" _**Don't panic," **__Troy sang as he glanced over at Chad who smiled and jumped up from his seat and he yelled __**" Panic!"**_

" _**Now do we have to dress up for the prom?" **__Jason asked with a questionable look on his face. _

_Zeke gently tapped him on the shoulder. __**" Dude I don't think we have a choice."**_

_Ryan beamed as Kelsi began her mini solo. It was amazing how much confidence she had grown over the last year. __**" Yeah, it's the night of nights, got to look just right."**_

" _**Dressing to impress the boys," **__Martha stated matter of factly. _

" _**Do I want classic or vintage or plaid?" **__Chad asked glancing at the rest of the group._

" _**Where's the mirror?" **__Zeke questioned. _

" _**I think this tux is to baggy," **__Jason pointed out grabbing his sweater, pretending to have a tux on. _

" _**To tight, it makes me look weird," **__Troy concluded before the girls started their next part. _

" _**Should I go movie star glamorous?" **__Gabi asked as she stood up and began to spin around. _

" _**Sassy or sweet?" **__Martha asked with a confused look on her face. _

" _**Don't know," **__Taylor replied stubbornly, __**" but no one better wear the same dress as me."**_

_All the boys stood up as they began their next part. __**" It's the night of out nightmare."**_

_The boys sat down and the girls stood up for their line. __**" It's the night of our dreams." **_

_They switched again as the boys began to sing once more. __**" It's to late to back out if it." **_

" _**Hey, makeovers, massages,"**__ the girls replied as they stood up again. _

" _**Don't know what a corsage is," **__the boys pointed out, once again standing. _

" _**Been waiting all our lives for this," **__the girls sang as they stood up for the last time. _

_The boys stood up to join them in the chorus. __**" It's going to be night. Can't wait. To remember. Oh man. Come on now. Big Fun. All right. It's going to be the night. I guess. To last forever. Lucky us. We'll never ever ever forget."**_

_Everybody but the Evans twins began to sing the next part, swaying to the beat that was playing in their head. __**" Getting ready, get ready, get get getting ready, ready. Get ready. Getting ready, hurry up, get get getting ready."**_

_Everybody sat down when Sharpay sang __**" Go", **__and the Evans twins began their solo after Chad yelled " Hey you've been in there an hour man."_

" _**So what should I do with hair?"**__ Sharpay asked as she primped her golden locks, which - having been in a ponytail all day and had not seen a hair-dryer in 3 days - was not as stylish as usual. _

" _**Where's my shaver?" **__Ryan asked with a perplexed look on his face. _

" _**Oooohh I love it." **__She exclaimed with a huge smile on her face._

" _**I look like a waiter!" **__Ryan said with a disgruntled look_

" _**Should I fluff it?" **__Sharpay asked herself._

_They turned to face each and both smiled before singing the last line together. __**" It's getting later, already should be there."**_

_They both sat down and Ryan - even though he didn't have this part in the real show- joined the guys as they sang their next lines. __**" Her mother opens the door, I'm shaking inside, yeah."**_

_The girls responded with, __**" He's here, it's time, the hour's arrived."**_

" _**Don't know why her father's staring me down." **__The boys all sang with worried looks on their faces. _

" _**Where's my purse, lip gloss. Now I'm really freaking out," **__the girls sang with equally worried looks. _

_Smiles appeared on all the boys faces as they finished this section of the song. __**" Then something changes my world, the most beautiful girl, right in front of my eyes." **_

_The whole group got up and headed towards a open clearing a little bit away from the camp fire as they re-sang the chorus. They then formed two lines - one side with the girls and one side with the boys- as Ryan and Kelsi prepared to walk in-between the for the next part. _

" _Are we dancing the last part?" Troy whispered as Ryan passed._

_He glanced around at his friends and noticed the exited looks on their faces and nodded. _

_They boys began their line. __**" Who's that girl? She's so fine."**_

" _**Who's that boy? I don't recognize, oh," **__all the girls asked as they pointed to Ryan who was leading Kelsi down the middle. _

"_**Who's that girl? She looks so good yeah." **__The guys asked, all giving each other nods._

_Ryan, who was to busy spinning with Kelsi didn't noticed the little exchange, and was surprised when he sang the next part all by himself. __**" Guess you never really noticed, but you probably should." **__It took all of Ryan's theatrical training for him to not just stop right then and there in the middle of the performance. And although he danced the rest of the routine flawlessly and sang on time, his mind was going one miles an hour . It was funny how one line from a song he had sung a million times could so deeply and suddenly affect him. He knew right then and there- as he held on to Kelsi and dipped her at the end of the song- that no matter what, by the end of the night Kelsi Nielsen was going to be his girlfriend. _

_The sound of Zeke cursing brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced over to see his friend on the ground, his sister sprawled on top of him. " Dammit, I'm so sorry Sharpay. It's this stupid ground, I guess I just lost my footing."_

_Everyone had a shocked look on their faces and glanced over at Sharpay, expecting fireworks. But instead she just let out a small chuckle and leaned up to lightly kiss Zeke on the face. " That's okay. Just be thankful you didn't fall during the routine."_

_They all stared at her in bewilderment. _

" _What?" she asked, then she glanced at her brother suddenly clapped her hands together. " I have an idea." And with that she ran off towards the tents._

" _Dude," Chad said as he walked over to Ryan and patted him on the shoulder, "what is up with your sister?"_

_Ryan just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. He had a feeling that their conversation earlier on in the bush might have made his sister see some light, but he didn't really think it was appropriate to share that information. If she wanted to share her feelings with the others she would. _

" _Never mind Sharpay," Troy pointed out, " I think we need to call the morgue because it looks like Zeke has died and gone to heaven."_

_Everyone glanced over at Zeke and nodded in agreement. _

_A moment later Sharpay came back from the tents carrying a guitar case. She placed it in front of her brother and opened it up. " Play us something Ry." _

" _Yeah," Martha agreed. " Let's hear something Ryan."_

_He glanced around at the group in front of him and could not help but smiled. Never in a million years did he think that he would end up having such amazing friends. " Uh…sure." He pulled out his guitar and then plucked all the strings. It was slightly out of tune so his dug in his case and let out a small groan. " I forget my tuner."_

_Kelsi let out a small chuckled and walked over, sat down beside him and took his guitar out of his hands. " You don't need a tuner when you got me, remember?"_

_His smile got wider as she began to tune his instrument. " How could I forget? The great Kelsi Nielsen is just so much better then the rest of us, with her prefect pitch and all."_

" _Shut up," she said playfully as she handed the instrument back to him. " Next time I just won't help."_

_He didn't say anything. He just watched her as she walked back over to her log and sat down. _

_He strummed all the strings and then put on a fake frown. " I think the G is flat."_

_She stuck her tongue out at him. _

_From across the fire Ms. Darbus smiled. There had been a reason why she has paired the two of them together to create the show. And it wasn't just because they were both immensely talented. She had always had a feeling that their was a chemistry between her star performer and the composer, a chemistry she knew would grow if only they spent more time together, getting to know one other. And what better way to connect then to create a masterpiece together. It seemed her feeling had been right. _

_Ryan slowly began to play his guitar, everyone growing silent as they listened to music. He took a breath and then began to sing. __**" I've got money in my pocket, I like the color of my hair. I've got a friend who loves me. I 've got a house, I've got a car. I've got a good mother and her voice is what keeps me here. Feet on ground, heart in hand, facing forward be yourself. I, I never wanted anything. No I, no I. I never wanted anyway so bad. So bad."**_

_As Ryan finished the chorus he smiled at his sister who smiled back and the began to sing the next verse. __**" Cardboard, masks of the people I've been. Thrown out with all the rusted, tangled, dented, god damn miseries. You could say I'm hard to hold, but if you knew me, you'd know I've got a good father and his strength is what makes me cry." **_

_Ryan joined his sister in harmony for the chorus. As he played the instrumental the rest of the gang got up and danced. And he watched as Kelsi danced alone, and for a second he was tempted to stop playing and dance with her. But that was kind of stupid, seeing as he was the one who was making the music. So instead his sang the first verse over._

_When was done everyone clapped and he got up and did a dramatic bow. And he watched as Kelsi walked back to his seat and courage seemed to suddenly hit him. " Hey Kels," he yelled causing her to stop in her tracks and turned to face him. " Will you be my girlfriend?"_

_There was a gasp from all the girls -expect for Sharpay who just had a smug look on her face- as Kelsi's eyes got wider. " What?"_

_He took a gulp and walked up to her and grabbed her hand. " Will you please be my girlfriend?"_

_She stared up at him for a moment and then leaned up to kiss him fully on the lips - causing Troy and Chad to hoot and holler. But Ryan didn't care as he broke away from her kiss and picked her up and spun her around. When he let her down he grabbed her hands and smiled sheepishly. " Um…I know that guys usually give girls something when they become official and all, but seeing as we are in the middle of nowhere I don't really have anything."_

_She just smiled. " It doesn't matter."_

_He shook his head slightly and then he smiled. "Wait, here." He pulled his fedora off of his head and placed it on hers. " There you go."_

_She let out a small chuckle. "It's prefect," she muttered before kissing him again. _

**Yeah. So what did you think? I have no idea when the next chapter will be posted because on the 15****th**** I am moving back home and I will once again have to re-type anything I want to post ( unless me and my sister can somehow convince my mother that since both us will be home all the time we need the internet) But do not worry I have this story all planned out and I WILL finish it ( one day). And that is saying a lot for me because I have the tendency not to finish long stories, but I really really like this one, so I am motivated. **


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